


Holding you…

by lovinglittleboat



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Crying, Cuddles, Cute, Fluff, Fluffy oneshot, Hurt/Comfort, Kisses, Light Angst, Love, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, because why the hell not lol, but i made them kiss, inspired by merlin kingdom come, lots of hugs, pretty much a scene from merlin season 6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:28:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25206220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovinglittleboat/pseuds/lovinglittleboat
Summary: Merlin could wait forever for Arthur, with out him, his life felt incomplete, so while everyone else moved on, Merlin stayed the same. Arthur wouldn't want him to change, right?And now, 15,000 years later, something changes, and it just can't be dream, he's had enough of those already…__or the one where merlin tells Arthur to hold him whilst they're lying on the grass.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 88





	Holding you…

**Author's Note:**

> so glad to be part of this fandom, i think merlin is the best.
> 
> also none of this is really mine. <3

Merlin runs to the lake, he doesn’t care that his breath is burning in his chest, in fact he almost forgets to breathe, it’s not important now, Arthur is important, and Arthur’s going to return, and this time, it's going to be real, this time it isn’t just going to be his head and his mess of emotions trying to mock him. 

It’s real this time.

It has to be.

He looks around frantically, but there's nothing. He runs to the edge of the water, desperation pulsing through his veins. 

And then he spots it, a subtle glow in the lake, skimming over the surface like it's trying to protect the water, and like a silver fire is burning inside it. Merlin’s breath hitches as he hangs over the edge, the light is getting brighter and brighter, until it’s almost blinding. He throws his hands over his eyes, because it’s starting to burn his eyes, and Merlin doesn’t think he can handle any pain right now.

He can feel his broken heart in his chest, slamming itself against his rib cage like it wants to damage itself further.

There's a sudden eruption coming from all around him, it's so strong it makes the ground shake. It happens so quickly, and before he knows it, Merlin is thrown backwards into the air, only to be slammed back against a tree.

He feels the pain in his back after a second, his vision is blurry but when he looks up he notices how the stars are no longer shining so brightly. He tries to Ignore the pain right now, there isn’t the time to be hurting.

He stands up immediately. The lake. Arthur. Arthur was returning. 

But when his eyes fall across to where he had just been standing, there's nothing out of the ordinary. It was just another dream, after all this time they kept coming back, like some sort of record spinning around and around. And Merlin was foolish enough to fall for it every single time.

‘Arthur’s isn’t coming back, no matter how much you need him.’ Merlin tells himself shamefully, burying his hands in the deep pockets of his coat, it takes a lot of effort not to cry as the realisation of how lonely he is surrounds him again. 

He finds himself walking away, pulling his jacket tighter around his body. Why couldn’t he lust have died like everyone else? Why couldn’t he just have been normal?

He only took a few steps before he heard it, a voice he hadn’t heard in forever, but he could never forget what it sounded like. 

“Merlin?”

It was a trick. It had to be, just his lying heart teasing him for falling in love with someone he couldn’t even keep alive. But he’s drawn to the voice, he always will be. He turns around slowly, he's scared to look, he’s scared of the empty lake and the empty world without Arthur in it. He just wants to go home. Go back to Camelot when Arthur was king. Arthur is home.

There was somebody standing knee deep in the lake, looking like a memory merlin had always held close to him. He had smiling eyes like the ones Merlin used to know, his eyes used to be that bright of a color, until his pain had weared them down to something murky and dull. 

Merlin hated himself for being able to remember so many details, like the different coloured crystals on his crown, and the way his chainmail shone before battle, after he had spent all morning polishing it.

“Merlin.” He said it again, in that beautiful voice.

“...Arthur?” He managed. Please respond, he begged the figure in the water, please don’t fade away again.

Arthur's eyes were shining with tears, it all looked so real, it had to be real. He prayed for Arthur to say his name again, or to tell him it wasn’t a dream.

“Hello, Merlin.”

He felt himself fall apart, it was Arthur, it really was Arthur.  
“Arthur.”

‘Hello, Merlin, hello.’ Arthur’s voice was still pounding in his ears, fifteen hundred years of goodbye overshadowed by a single ‘hello.’

Merlin sprinted into the water before Arthur could take another step, his legs were shaking so much that he slipped, feeling the cold gush of water try to suffocate him, he pulled himself up immediately, coughing and spluttering, fighting his way to where Arthur was standing.

Arthur laughs and reaches out to help him, but it isn’t necessary. 

“Arthur!” He throws his arms around him, it feels like they’re a thousand worlds apart, so Merlin needs to bring him closer now. He just needs to hold him, just in case he disappears again, Merlin couldn’t let that happen, he wants another thousand years, but this time he wants it to be just them together, it didn’t matter when they were or what they were doing, he just needed Arthr there with him.

“Miss me much?” Merlin nodded, he couldn’t seem to put anything down in words. Arthur didn’t have a clue how empty the world had felt without him.  
“It’s good to see you, Merlin.” He felt Arthur’s warm breath in his hair.

“I… I…” He managed trying to find the right words to say. Just trying to speak was like trying to walk all over again. His voice was so shaky and broken and he couldn’t seem to piece it all together.

“No, Merlin, you don’t have to say anything.” 

But Merlin needed to speak, he needed to spit these words out of his mouth.

“I waited for you Arthur. I waited for you all this time.”

“It’s over now.” Arthur whispered, Merlin realised how much he loved the way Arthur talked.

“I missed you.” 

“Well, I’m here now.”

Merlin looked at him again, he really didn't know anything. His body was fresh out of the past. Transported first class from a better time. He was so perfect, it was almost unreal.

“You’re really here.” He reached out to touch his face, moving his hand over the soft skin of his cheek. Arthur caught his hand and pulled it away, squeezing it lightly. “... you’re really here.”

“Yes, that’s right. I am really here.”

Merlin throws his arms around Arthur once more, he can’t help it, his body is filled to the brim with happiness. They don’t hold each other for nearly as long this time, Arthur pulls back and studies him. 

“What the hell are you wearing?”

Merlin tries to laugh but his body is overflowing with emotions, and it ends up turning into another sob.

“You alright? Not going to drown in your own tears are you?” Merlin can read the concern under his mocking tone and tries to smile through his tears. “Honestly, Merlin, you’re a disaster, come on, let's get you out of here before you freeze.”

Merlin gives into Arthur’s touch and lets him guide him back to land. It feels nice to have Arthur’s arm around his shoulder, or just to have someone in general. But then at the moment they reach dry land his legs give in again and he finds himself on the ground again, the wet grass pressed up against his face. He feels Arthur's hand on his shoulder a second later.

“What - Merlin, come on, on your feet.”

Merlin doesn’t move, he can’t, he likes this moment, he doesn't want it to be over, no.

Arthur tries to move him up, but after a moment he watches as he lays down next to him. Merlin gazed at him dreamily.

“Merlin, are you alright?” He sounds worried. Merlin doesn’t really know how to respond to that.

Then after a second he hugs Arthur. From the side. It was a quick decision, and by the look on Arthur's face, Merlin didn’t think he was expecting it.

“You’re as cold as death, Merlin, we need to get you dry-”

“Just… Just hold me.” he cuts Arthur off, he doesn’t know why he said it, but he’s too tired to feel embarrassed, and really that’s all he wants right now. 

He can feel Arthur’s heartbeat speed up, but then he draws Merlin closer to him. 

Merlin smiles as he presses his head into Arthur’s chest. He’s back, and this time, he’s here to stay.

"Hey, Arthur?" He whispered, moving his hand in lazy circles across tye kings back.

"Yes, Merlin?"

"I love you." He mumbled, right now he was so exhausted he had lost track of the words coming out of his mouth.

"I love you too, you stupid idiot." Arthur chuckled.

Merlin let go of him and propped himself up on his elbows, so they were looking dirrectly at eachother.

"Really?"

Arthur took Merlin's face in his hands, his fingers were so gentle they almost weren't there at all, and for a second Merlin feared that it was all just his imagination, but thuen Arthur's lips met his own, and they were so soft and sweet and kind. 

Merlin was never going to leave Arthur's side again. They were two sides of the same coin, and he very much liked it that way.

**Author's Note:**

> this probably isn't the best.
> 
> also am i the onply one who wants colin and bradley to be friends again, i hope i'm not.
> 
> well merthur is the best, and this fandom will live forever and thats all that really matters :)


End file.
